The third biennial Guildford Spring Music Festival takes place in March 2008 with a series of 14 concerts all including musicians with a significant connection with Guildford. The original basis for the first Festival in 2004 was to establish a series of concerts to be given by some of the many international stars and professional musicians in the area, as well as local younger performers graduating from the colleges, talented school students and amateurs who perform to professional standards but have other careers. GSMF has announced its programme for 2008 with some musicians appearing for the first time and others taking part for the second or third time. The established musicians rarely give recitals in the provinces and the audiences of West Surrey are indeed fortunate to be able to hear them locally instead of making the trek up to London – another reason behind the original establishment of a Festival format.
Several international and national figures who live in the area have agreed to appear. Local residents Dame Ann Murray, the star mezzo-soprano and joint-President of the Festival, will give a song recital on Friday evening and Michael Collins, the internationally famed clarinetist, will play on the Thursday evening. The renowned conductor Hilary Davan Wetton, who has been directing choral works in Guildford for 40 years, will lead a performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion from Scratch on the opening day, Sunday, 9 March.
In a wide variety of concerts, ranging from a jazz lunch with Jimmy Hastings and his Quartet to the Latin American themes and rhythms of Quimantu and Songs from the Shows presented by Guildford School of Acting, the musicians connected with the GU area will entertain the people of West Surrey in the Electric Theatre and the Guildhall during a concentrated week of music making. Surrey Brass is making a welcome return as is Penelope Cave, this time with her duet partner Helena Brown, in a programme paying tribute to Jane Austen. Young people are represented by the Guildford Cathedral Girls Choir on the Tuesday evening and the chamber music players of the Royal Grammar School who give a lunchtime recital the same day. In 2006 two local pianists, Simon Phillips and Stephen Ridge, made a great impression on two pianos and are appearing again on one piano stool to play duets. The week will close, as always, with a Gala Symphony performance by the Surrey Mozart Players directed by Kenneth Woods and featuring Cerys Jones (violin). Cerys appeared in the first Festival with the Bowen String Quartet.
The Festival is very fortunate to have the financial support of Guildford Borough Council, the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Charitable Trust and further backing provided by eleven Founder Sponsors from Guildford’s business community. Other commercial support is being given to specific events during the week.
Detailed information on this and all the events can be found on the Festival website www.gsmf.org.uk.
Tickets will be available from the Electric Theatre Box Office from the end of the year. A Festival brochure will be available, also at the end of December, and can be sent to anyone requesting a copy or picked up at the Theatre, the Library or Tourist Office. Discounts on tickets are available for those attending 3 or more events and additional reductions for those joining the Friends of the Festival. Details on how to join the Friends and obtain discounts are available on the Electric Theatre pages.
The Electric Theatre
Onslow Street
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 4SZ
Box office tel: 01483 444789
Email enquiries: electrictheatre@guildford.gov.uk